Department of Home Affairs, Border Management Authority and Government Printing Works: Q2 performance reports for 2023/24; with Ministry

Meeting report

The Chairperson welcomed everyone in attendance at the meeting. He apologised for the delayed start, and the late coming of himself and the Members.

The meeting would not be dealing with the Private Members Bill, because Dr A Lotriet (DA) was unwell and would not be attending.

There were apologies from Mr A Roos (DA); Ms L van der Merwe (IFP); Mr T Mogale (EFF); Mr Y Tyetyana (EFF); Ms T Legwase (ANC); and Adv B Bongo (ANC).

Mr Tommy Makhode, Director-General, Department of Home Affairs (DHA), introduced the team of delegates representing the Department. The Commissioner of the Border Management Authority (BMA), Dr Mike Masiapato, introduced the team from BMA present in the meeting. The CEO of Government Printing Works (GPW), Ms Alinah Fosi, introduced the Exco members representing the GPW.

Opening Remarks from the Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi
Minister Motsoaledi said the three reports are second quarter reports. The reports are an indication of the capabilities and the shortfalls of the three entities respectively, and they are all straightforward presentations. He handed over to the officials to begin with the presentations.

Department of Home Affairs Q2 performance report: 2023/24
Mr Makhode took the Committee through the DHA second quarterly performance report for the 2023/24 financial year. [Please see the attached slide presentation for full details.]

The Department’s services are divided into two broad categories, namely civic services and immigration services. The first mandate speaks to the management of citizenship and civil registration, the second mandate covers the management of international migration, and the third mandate addresses the management of refugee protection.

The DG provided a graphic illustration of the overall performance of the DHA for the second quarter. The Department had 36 targets planned for the second quarter and only 24 were achieved (67%).

He outlined the performances per programme. The Department was only able to achieve 70% of its targets under Administration, 75% under Citizen Affairs (where only one was not achieved), and 40% under Immigration Affairs.

The table on the performance per branch showed that Civic Service had four planned targets and only achieved three, Immigration Services only achieved two out of the five targeted achievements, Information Systems only achieved two out of the four. Only the branch responsible for human resources was able to achieve all its set targets.

Under programme one: Administration, one annual target was to implement 38 selected ports of entry with Biometric Movement Control System (BMCS). The Department could not finalise the installation of BMCS due to the slow State Information Technology Agency (SITA) procurement process for installing data lines at the ports of entry. The Department has had continuous engagements with SITA to enhance the procurement process. The rollout of BMCS will be continued in outstanding Ports of Entry during the third quarter.

The Department needed to ensure that front-end and back-end systems for the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) were developed, during the quarter, however, the target was not achieved. The DG said there is a lot of progress being made in this regard and there are hopes that the front-end and back-end systems development will be completed in the 3rd quarter.

The Department was able to achieve the target of a progress report presented to Immigration Services (IMS) on the IMS Case Management System and the target for migrating records from the old National Immigration Information System (NIIS) to the new system was more than achieved.

The DG said the Department has had a lack of capacity in terms of its legal department, and therefore there has been a delay in processing Bills. They have had to commission externally for legal assistance. The target regarding the DHA Bill, which was meant to be submitted to Cabinet for approval for public consultation, was not achieved. The extensive consultations and further refinement of the Bill have delayed the finalisation of the Bill. The DG stated that the revised Bill will be submitted to the Minister for approval during the third quarter.

The Minister did not approve the National Identification and Registration Draft Bill. The Department picked up that some issues need to be aligned with the Bill and those are being addressed. A revised Bill will be submitted to the Minister for approval during the third quarter.

The DG indicated that the Marriage Draft Bill was revised and incorporated public comments and it was submitted to the Minister on 29 September 2023. [It had not yet been approved by the Minister during the quarter, however]. The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment System Report has been submitted to the Presidency.

Under programme two, the Department set out to issue 625 000 smart ID cards to citizens 16 years of age and older, and the target was over achieved by 73 660. The Department constantly monitored external service providers (i.e. GPW and Skynet), to ensure that ID cards have been finalised and delivered timeously by conducting and audit on long outstanding cases which are still with the service providers.

Under the third programme, immigration affairs, the Department had a target of finalising 85% of permanent residence applications for critical skills (Section 27(b)), general work (S26(a)), and business (S27(c)) within eight months for applications collected within South Africa per year. The Department overachieved the target with 88.1%. The verification of documents as required by the legislation remains one of the time consuming exercises in the finalisation process.

The Department was unable to meet the 4-week target it set for dealing with critical skills visa applications. Only 41.6% of critical skills visa applications were adjudicated within four weeks for applications processes within South Africa per year.

[These are a few examples from the report, which are detailed in the presentation]

The DG highlighted some of the key challenges faced by the Department. He referred to the dependency on external stakeholders to provide services. The DHA is slowly starting to see progress in its engagements with the new Managing Director of SITA. But they rely on the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure to provide the outcome of the feasibility study and option analysis based on the strategic accommodation requirements. The DHA has challenges regarding the IT Infrastructure, but the bigger problem relates to the National Population Registration (NPR) system downtime due to cable theft.

The Department is currently in the process of digitising its records, which will assist in reducing waiting time for the amendment of records. The rollout of the Branch Appointment Booking System (BABS) is already bearing fruit, as it has reduced long queues because clients are able to make their bookings online in the comfort of their homes.

The review of the Immigration System intends to improve the functioning of the permitting processes and consistency in implementing recommendations of the Ministerial Review Committee.

The Department is exploring other service delivery channels, including rolling out the Virtual Interactive Self-service Machine (KIOSK) and piloting of the DHA MobiApp.

Mr Gordon Hollamby, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), DHA, gave an overview of the expenditure versus the budget as of 30 September 2023. A linear projection was 50% [- at the halfway point of the financial year.] The DHA had a budget of R10.9 billion and it spent R5.7 billion at the end of September, translating to 52.4% expenditure. The Department spent 56.9% of its total budget under administration; 73.3% under Citizen affairs; 45.9% spent on immigration affairs; 43.1% on institutional support and transfers; and 52.8% on provinces.

Mr Hollamby referred to the earmarked funds. He explained that under the Passenger Name Recognition System, National Treasury has approved for the DHA to un-earmark the funds to utilise the R225-m elsewhere.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has not drawn down all its allocations under Institutional Support and Transfers in line with the linear projections. The amount will be spent on the commencement of the IEC project.

Comparing the budget versus the expenditure per economic classification: the DHA spent 43.5% of its stipulated budget under compensation of employees before the Department made a virement to goods and services. He explained that the money for the digitisation project was misallocated as compensation as opposed to goods and services. In terms of goods and services, the Department spent 84.3%, which also includes the self-financing and digitisation money.

In terms of the expenditure versus the budget, the Department is on track in terms of spending all its allocated budget.

Mr Hollamby said the report only indicates the local revenue collected by the Department. The total revenue collected as of 30 September 2023 was R456.7 million, while the Department’s target was over a billion rands. It is well on its way to achieving the target.

The Department has been paying its invoices diligently. The quarterly performance of the Department stands at 98.43% of invoices paid within 30 days. The invoices paid after the 30 days are all at head office. The DHA is attempting to find interventions to ensure that the head office copies what is being done by the provinces to improve on the 30 days payment.

The Department also commented on its Draft Audit Action Plan. The CFO said that at the time he submitted his input for the presentation, it was in draft format, however, Exco has since approved it and it is a live document. The Department has had a meeting on the issue of reporting and being able to account for the duties.

[Please see the attached slide presentation for full details.]

Border Management Authority Q2 performance report: 2023/24
Dr Masiapato took the Committee through the BMA second quarter report for the 2023/24 financial year. [Please see the attached slide presentation for full details.]

He outlined the flow of the presentation and the vision, mission, and value proposition of the Authority.

The BMA has four key outcomes, namely the institutional excellence distinguished by good corporate governance and ethical leadership; secure borders that protect national interests and enhance national security; enhanced trade and socio-economic development; and strengthened coordination and cooperation with local and international stakeholders within the border management environment.

Commissioner Masiapato outlined the performance overview per program. The Authority had 13 targets and achieved 10 (77%). Under programme one, Corporate Services, the entity achieved four out of five targets and under programme two, BMA operations, the entity achieved six out of eight targets.

Under programme one, the Authority had set out to have one business process review conducted to detect system and process related vulnerabilities to fraud and corruption. The target was achieved. The Authority was able to review the Subsistence and Travel Allowance Claim process, Overtime Allowance claim process, Danger allowance claim process, and the Sunday overtime allowance claim process.

The target set out in relation to the percentage of valid invoices paid within 30 days was not achieved. The Commissioner said that the target will not be in the upcoming Annual Performance Plan (APP). One of the reasons for non-achievement was due to the fact that the entity is still in a transitional phase; the entity still has employees that were moved from the Department into the BMA, however the said colleagues are still located in buildings which are contracted between the original Departments and the BMA. Therefore, The entity has experienced challenges in paying the relevant invoices issued to the departments responsible for the functions transferred to the BMA. Some of the invoices have since been paid.

The target related to the submission of quarterly reports will be removed from the APP because it is a compliance-based target. However, as it stands, the target was achieved, the quarter one performance report of the BMA was submitted to the Department of Planning Monitoring and Evaluation and a further submission was made to DHA.

Under programme two, the Authority did not achieve its target set out in relation to the deployment of key personnel for Risk Targeting. However, it has been able to bring in the Assistant Commissioner, who is the head of the National Targeting Centre. The progress is dependent on the appointment of a recruitment agency and the approval of a remuneration plan. The process of appointing a recruitment agency is at an advanced stage.

More information on the targets in relation to programmes one and two are available in the report.

Ms M Gumede, BMA Deputy Commissioner: Finances, took the Portfolio Committee through the quarter two expenditure of the BMA.

The budget appropriation for the BMA was R1.1 billion for the period under review, which is different in comparison to what was shown in the DHA report. She said that in July, the Authority made a submission to the National Treasury, where it could foresee that there were key employees which were yet to be appointed and there was a request to revise the budget allocation.

As of the second quarter, the BMA has spent 44% of its allocated budget. Out of the R1.1 billion allocated to the BMA, R963 million of expenditure is allocated to Compensation of Employees. The BMA has spent up to 47% of the allocated amount to date and has underspent by 3%.

Commissioner Masiapato highlighted some of the achievements of the entity for the period under review. The BMA successfully held the launch of the Authority on 5 October 2023 in Musina, where the President of the Republic, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, presided over the event. 400 Junior Border Guards and 50 Maritime Border Guards were recruited to further strengthen the operations of the Authority.

[Please see the attached slide presentation for full details.]

Government Printing Works Report Q2 performance report: 2023/24
Ms Fosi outlined the purpose of the presentation. She highlighted the legislative mandate of the organisation. GPW was established in terms of the Government Gazette dated 9 October 2009. The mandate of the organisation is to deliver security printing and related services to the Government of South Africa. [Please see the attached slide presentation for full details.]

The CEO outlined some of the strategic outcome goals of the organisation. The first goal related to repositioning GPW business processes is to ensure the organisation's stability, sustainability and viability as a critical national security facility. The second goal referred to optimising processes and facilities to increase operational effectiveness and improve customer service. The third goal is related to people management and development.

The GPW contributes towards achieving the objectives of the National Development Plan (NDP) Vision 2030 and strives to make a significant contribution to the national government outcomes. Under outcome three, which is to ensure that all people in SA are safe, the GPW’s contribution is the production of national security documents (i.e. IDs and Passports) for citizens and legal foreign nationals. The organisation also contributes to the NDP through the recruitment of unemployed youth, women, and people living with disabilities. The organisation is working closely with the DHA to ensure that documents include all the world-class security features. The entity ensures that capable staff are appointed through the organisational structure implemented from 1 April 2022.

In the first quarter, the organisation achieved 78% of its targets and in the second quarter, it achieved 83% of its targets. In quarter one, there were 18 targets and it only managed to achieve 14, while in quarter two, the organisation achieved 15 out of the 18 targets.

Ms Fosi outlined the breakdown of the targets according to the branches. The office of the CEO reported 100% achievement. Financial services had two targets and both were not achieved. The Audited Annual Financial Statements were not included in the Annual Report 2022/23; and the 10% net profit margin was not achieved.
Corporate Services had nine targets and eight were achieved and one was not achieved. The appointment of a contractor for the refurbishment of the GPW head-quarters building was not achieved.

The organisation had projected 30% of the approved annual internal audit plan to be implemented. The target was achieved. The CEO said the internal audit covers the areas of contract management, assets management follow-up audit, and ICT follow-up. GPW management decided to do a stock count to ensure that the stock on the floor correlates with what is on the system.

The CFO, Mr Ian van der Merwe, outlined the expenditure of the organisation. All revenue has been realised and is based on the up-to-date declaration of the AX Dynamic System with no exceptions. The expected date for depreciation to be integrated into the financial system is the end of February 2024, therefore, the budget pro-rated figure of R49.8 million has been used in the Management Reports. No other calculations outside of the system have been included in the reports. The net profit is calculated at R17 million, which equates to 2.26% of total projected revenue at year to date. The revenue variance to date is R 70 million, which contributes to the net profit target not reached. GPW registered R31.7 million in discounts to DHA at the end of September 2023. Accruals have been factored into the presentation of the Revenue and Cost of Sales.

[Please see the attached slide presentation for full details.]

Comments from the Minister
Minister Motsoaledi referred to the DHA report and indicated that there is an issue with the White Paper on the Management of Citizenship, International Migration and Refugee Protection. He said that he has indicated several times that there is a need to overhaul the entire migration system in the country. The process has been ongoing for 18 months and it has recently gone through the Cabinet Committee on Justice, Crime Prevention and Security. The White Paper will provide a basis for the Citizenship Act, Refugee Act, and the Immigration Act.

The Department has finalised everything regarding the DHA Bill and has gone through the State Attorney. Because of the date set by the Constitutional Court, the Department has requested to be exempted from some of the steps, such as the SEIAS.

The BMA was officially inaugurated on 5 October by the President as the third law enforcement authority. Previously, the organisation could only arrest an individual in the presence of a police officer, and it now has the Authority to do so on its own.

The Minister recalled that the Portfolio Committee visited the Mbuzini community during its oversight visit and it has seen the problems in the area. The BMA has also visited the area and there will be an establishment of Community crossing points. The biggest problem has been that people from Mozambique shop in South Africa and cannot continue to require a passport every time they have to cross over to do their daily shopping. The Minister indicated that throughout Southern Africa, there are communities of the same descent divided by a border due to past border management, therefore, community crossing points are of utmost importance.

He referred to the GPW presentation and explained the discount to the DHA by the GPW, and he said that it is an untenable situation. The main client of GPW is DHA. The National Treasury provides the DHA with a certain amount of money and the Department pays huge sums to the GPW for services rendered. He said GPW is the only government entity that makes a profit, and National Treasury takes those profits. But when the DHA requests money from NT they are refused or given small amounts. The question from the DHA is whether it should continue paying huge sums for the services received from the GPW, because the profits from the GPW are re-distributed to other government departments.

The DHA discovered that the South African passport is sold at a much lower cost than what it is produced for, and it is the cheapest passport compared to other countries. DHA is of the belief that those who use a passport are better off and are able to afford a certain life. The DHA is currently making R800 million instead of R1.6 billion from the new tariffs set out for Passports.

Discussion
Ms M Molekwa (ANC) welcomed the presentation from the Department of Home Affairs. She raised her concerns regarding the underperformance and expressed that she hopes the Department will work hard to ensure that these are improved in the next performance report, in the next quarter. Are there any other interventions apart from the various engagements to address the issue of SITA within the Department? The Department should look into implementing other mechanisms to ensure SITA performs accordingly. She said she accepts the Department's recommendation that it consider alternative forms of energy in addressing the issue of generators and load shedding.

Ms Molekwa implored the DHA to continue engaging with the BMA on the financial plans to fast-track the resolution of issues.

She welcomed the presentation from the GPW and acknowledged the progress being made by the organisation. She hopes the GPW will continue with better performance into the next quarter. The Department should continue its engagements with relevant stakeholders, such as the GPW, concerning the issue of passports.

Ms A Khanyile (DA) welcomed the presentations. Given that the dependency on external stakeholders has been identified as one of the challenges facing Immigration Affairs, the Department should provide clarity on the interventions implemented to address this issue. She asked the Department to elaborate on the challenges it faced regarding the submission of Bills, because all the Bills during the second quarter have been delayed in some way. She proposed that the Department should capacitate its local offices with resources to deal with the blocked applications on their online system. The DA is constantly inundated with emails reading this issue and it looks like the local offices are unable to resolve these concerns. Further, she commended Mr Sigama and his office for their assistance in dealing with some of these issues. There have been a number of passports which have been collected, however on the system, they have not been marked as such. The Department should provide more information and updates on the mobile units which have not yet been procured. People in the rural areas are not employed and therefore it is difficult for some to reach their nearest local offices, due to the lack of transportation money. Bringing the services closer to these communities would be beneficial. She said that she hopes that going forward the Department’s offer to have the mobile units dispatched to the constituencies still stands, because these services are quite helpful and bearing fruitful results.

She asked the BMA to explain the need for a recruitment agency rather than the BMA or the DHA’s own human resource department being used. Could the BMA provide clarity on the measures put in place to deter repeat illegal entries in the country and deportation? She referred to the burning issue of young children who have died from consuming certain food items bought at the spaza shops. She asked whether the department has put any measures in ensuring that there is oversight in these stores to ensure that the spaza shops are being legally operated, and suggested a joint effort with the Department of Health to ensure that food being sold is not expired.

Regarding GPW, she asked when the audited financial report for 2022/23 will be tabled in Parliament. She also asked whether it is the GPW’s own target to submit its 2023/24 report to the AG on time in the following year. She asked for an update on the progress made in terms of the refurbishment of the new headquarters given the delays experienced in the appointment of a contractor, due to the new Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment requirements from the NT.

Mr K Pillay (ANC) welcomed all the reports. He commended the Department for its progress since its last annual report. He referred to the target of network upgrades which was not achieved. He said that the SITA issue is an elephant in the room and it needs to be addressed. He said that the Department should provide clarity on how the issue will be resolved and there should be clarity on how the network issue will be resolved going forward. SITA cannot continue to hold the Department and government to ransom in all the services that it needs to provide. He asked for an update on the status of the live capture and the new service provider. He asked whether the [contract of the] previous service provider had been cancelled. Mr Pillay appreciated the updates the Minister gave concerning the Bills. He said there had been a memo from the House indicating that there would not be any more Bills coming to the House. He condemned the idea that targets are not achieved due to late submission of reports. He said that there should be clear consequence management on the issue. Regarding BABS, Mr Pillay congratulated Civic Services on its work to ensure that the booking system is efficient for the ordinary citizen. He asked for an update on the collection process, and how long it would take for collection to be added to BABS. He asked for an update on the uncollected IDs. The immigration figures in the DHA report are quite alarming. He said that it is important to consider these numbers to boost the economy.

He asked for clarity on the need for the BMA recruitment agency. He was concerned that the filling of vacancies is not moving at a steady pace and he asked how it is possible that there is a R40 million underspending and yet the BMA still asks for more funding.

He said it is important for GPW to ensure that it gets the issue of audits right. He asked for an update on how far the organisation is to ensure that it does not get a repetition of the audit issue. How could the issue of the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and the GPW have been avoided? What has the GPW done to ensure that there is no more loss of data?

The Chairperson commended the DG and the Deputy Directors General for the work they continue to do and their efforts in ensuring that the work of the Department is done thoroughly. It is always refreshing to hear positive feedback from the public on the work done by DHA. He said that the Department identifies weaknesses and the Committee Members and the Department should work at strengthening these issues.

The Chairperson asked for clarity on the issue of finalising cases related to corruption within 90 days and what it means for processes. He asked for an update on the plans put in place for the rollout of the BMCS. The report indicated a lack of capacity within the legal unit. Therefore, he asked for an update on a plan to ensure that the legal unit is being reorganised. He said that the term of office [of Parliament] cannot end with the issue of the legal unit still hanging over the Department, as it is a repetitive issue. He asked for an update on the technical challenges and matters related to the live capture of birth certificates. In the last interaction with the Committee the Minister indicated that there were talks of stopping the intervention from the United Nations on the refugee issues. The Chairperson asked for an update on the matter and the costs thereof. He asked for information on the progress of the DHA’s effort in procuring more mobile trucks with modern technology to sufficiently accommodate the needs of the communities. The CFO said that the Department is learning from provincial offices in relation to the 30 days payment, however, the Chairperson said that this is a recurring line. The Department needs to be clear on the challenges the head office faces. The Chairperson questioned whether Pakistani shop owners are all legally in the country. He said that too often, the focus is on fellow African neighbours being in the country illegally and that Pakistani and other nationalities are abandoned. He said that the Department should be more transparent on the benchmark of the Pakistanis within the South African communities. The Department needs to provide a status on the Lindela matter.

The Chairperson requested clarity on the delays of salaries within the BMA and whether the matter has been resolved. He asked for an update on the issue of transfers between the BMA and other departments such as the Police. He asked for an update on the matter related to the recruitment agencies and the red tape thereof.

The Committee has noted the Minister's sentiments in relation to the GPW and the funding model thereof. He said that there is a need to monitor the Ministerial recommendation so that it gets out of the identified mess. He said that it is important that government institutions rely on self-generating money and do not rely on the fiscus. The Committee and the Department are working at ensuring that the reports are tabled before Parliament before the [end of the] sixth administration.

Government Printing Works Responses
The CEO welcomed the questions from the Committee Members. Concerns about the submission of Annual Reports keep management awake at night, knowing that the organisation needs to comply. Some circumstances have led to data losses and system failure. The members of the Executive have been engaging with the Auditor-General (AG) and the reality is that the organisation needs the support of the AG. The exco of GPW first met with the head of the portfolio and the executive team responsible for the GPW audit. Secondly, the GPW met with the office of the AG itself to give the AG a heads up on the work being done by the GPW and an update on its work progress. The GPW received a very positive attitude from the AG and it was an indication that the AG has an appetite to provide the organisation with much needed support. As an entity responsible for auditing, the AG made an undertaking to take on the responsibility of dealing directly with entities, such as GPW, which experience challenges to come up with a plan to resolve the issues of the organisation. The AG committed to doing a stress test of the plans of GPW, to ensure that the plans are implementable. The AG will also provide assistance in finalising the current audit as at the end of November 2023. The organisation made a commitment that if the AG submits its report at the end of November, the GPW will submit its own report at the end of December to the Minister for tabling.

Mr Zwelibanzi Gwiba, the Chief Information Officer (CIO), provided an update on the efforts being made to complete the Ministerial Review Panel (MRP) Report recommendations. The GPW has identified that many issues have to do with Information and Communication Technology governance, namely the maintenance policy and the impact it had on the organisation. The lack of policy resulted in the GPW not having the necessary controls to monitor technology utilisation. The organisation has also noted that there is indeed a capacity issue in relation to the recommendations of the MRP Report. The organisation has continued to prioritise ICT governance and capacity within GPW to build ICT infrastructure which is capable of ensuring that GPW takes heed from the internal audit reports and the AG reports. The CIO's budget has been allocated to buy the necessary ICT infrastructure, and a procurement plan is in place to identify all the weaknesses in the ICT area. GPW continues to work with risk management internally which independently audits the capabilities of the organisation.

The CEO said the engagements between the GPW and the DBSA are still continuing strongly despite the delays and the challenges. DBSA has committed to look into its internal governance processes and involve the supply chain management (SCM) team as observers. The organisation is almost at a 60% conclusion of the MRP recommendations and has projected a 70% by the end of the financial year.

Border Management Authority Responses
Commissioner Masiapato said that the BMA is currently in the process of relooking at its finances. The official BMA CFO would be appointed officially as of the following day, and once the handover process is concluded, all the financials will be cleared. He said the financials reported are to the end of the second quarter [30 September]. From 1 October, 50 coastal guards were appointed and automatically, the figure indicated as underspending has been changed. The third quarter report will provide more clarity.

The BMA will not succeed if it attempts to do the work on the standardisation of the HR sector internally. When the BMA took in all the new staff personnel, they had to be put into acting positions, and to ensure that these individuals were made full time employees, the necessary HR processes had to be followed. The recruitment agency was brought in as an interim solution to stabilise the organisation. The head of HR was expected to be coming on board the following day (1 November 2023). [Employee] wellness is provided by specialised service providers. People are currently working in the bushes, and anyone could be injured. Therefore the BMA needs the capacity to ensure that the organisation is grounded and prepared for any eventuality.

He referred to the concerns raised about repeat entry into the country. He said that one of the issues experienced by the BMA is that “the horse is bolted” - many people have [already] entered the country illegally. The responsibility of the organisation is to ensure that illegal immigrants who are taken out of the country do not come back in, however there are internal processes done by the Immigration inspectorate to ensure that those who are in the country are identified and dealt with, as well as Spaza shops which are operating illegally.

The Commissioner referred to the payment of invoices and the concerns raised thereof. He said that in the current [third] quarter the invoices will begin to go under the BMA. The report reflects the second quarter, and therefore during the time in which the BMA was trying to change contracts there were payments being processed.

The BMA is moving with speed on the processes related to recruitment to tackle the concerns raised about vacancies. However, the entity had to stop due to the notice from the DG that the process of recruitment needed to be brought to a halt as of 15 September. The BMA applied for an exemption on 16 September and they received it a month later, and therefore the processes were reactivated a month later.

Department of Home Affairs Responses
The DG referred to the concerns raised about critical skills and business. He said that the report is a reflection of quarter two, beginning in July until September. The Department received a long list [of critical skills applications] from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) which they were able to finalise within the allocated time. He also added that applications went beyond the stipulated time frame. He said that there is a team working on the matter currently. The Department has raised the issue of capacity with National Treasury, to assist the Department where they are able to. The Department is waiting on the Committee to proceed with the oversight process.

The processes of the Department [in finalising proposed legislation] take long and there are no shortcuts in terms of tackling Bills.

The Department received an offer from the Department of Science and Innovation to utilise the DHA Randburg offices as a pilot with alternative energy sources instead of generators.

DHA relies heavily on banks as a way to verify some information received. It relies on the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) to verify qualifications. The DHA has formed a partnership with the banks to provide them with data to process the verifications.

Capacitating local offices [is not advisable because] “there is quite a lot of fraud being done therefore the process becomes complicated and it cannot be delegated to local offices”. The process is undertaken by Mr Sigama [DDG Civic Services] in the back office. More than 1.8 million of these IDs have been unblocked, and the numbers are decreasing.

Mr Thulani Mavuso, Deputy Director-General, Institutional Planning and Support, said the Department has started exploring alternative network options. He said that the DHA had gone directly to the market for 18 sites because SITA appointed service providers for all the state-owned enterprises (SOEs). In a letter written to the DHA on 28 October, SITA indicated the service provider appointed for the 18 sites. However, the problem flagged by the Department was that the costs for upgrading one site were quite exorbitant. After rejecting the SITA proposal, the Department decided to go into the market itself. SITA could not provide the DHA with an itemised cost breakdown list. SITA has also allowed the government to install Local Area Network cables for the sites which cost less than R500 thousand. He assured the Committee that the Department is on track with procuring 100 mobile units and that IT is ensuring that all the routers are ready for installation.

Mr Mavuso stated that there is indeed a new service provider in terms of live capture. The Department has ordered 91 kiosks, and one on the floor is almost complete. The plan is to have 250 for the first phase.

Mr Thomas Sigama, DDG: Civic Services, said the current number of uncollected IDs is 568 639. Close to 64 000 [of these are for people who now] are deceased. The Department has implemented a strategy to ensure that the numbers are decreased significantly. He said that the majority of the IDs are re-issues. DHA has partnered with the Department of Basic Education to hand over IDs prior to the exam season. DHA has also partnered with IEC, and the Department moves around with the organisation during public awareness and advocacy to communicate thoroughly with the communities. All the offices of the DHA will be open as a build-up towards voter registration between 18 and 19 November 2023. As a strategy of live capture, the Department has set up dedicated counters for those who will be collecting their IDs from the facilities.

Concluding remarks from the Minister and the Deputy Minister
Mr Njabulo Nzuza, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, said the matter of uncollected IDs is a recurring issue, because as people collect their IDs some are applying, however, it is not an excuse to neglect the matter. He said that the Department has set a target of capping the acceptable level of [IDs still awaiting] collection at 100 000. There will not be a situation of a South African citizen who is unable to vote due to not having access to an ID because the Department will work hard to ensure that its services are available towards and during the voting period. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was low traffic in the facilities of DHA, and this meant lower revenue. He said that part of the money intended for self-financing activities was meant to be used to expand the footprint of the DHA in Health facilities. The measures are currently being re-energised. The DHA has revised a strategy of moving away from brick and mortar and using mobile units. He said that the kiosks would go a long way in complementing the work being done by the mobile units.

Due to its versatility, the Minister said that the Department had previously reported to the Committee on its decision to implement the mobile units as an alternative platform on which citizens could receive their identification. If the truck is in a rural area, it is equipped with technology, such as generators, to provide adequate services to the citizens in that specific community. The Department has not stopped with setting up stations in malls around the country. The new branding on the mobiles: “Home Affairs On Wheels” is a true testament to the efforts of the Department. The SITA processes have delayed 20 more trucks. SITA eventually provided the routers and the trucks have since been in operation. He said that the Department has ordered 100 more trucks as an additional measure. The Minister paid a visit to the manufacturing centres for the trucks, namely in Gqeberha; Rosslyn; and eThekwini. The trucks will be ready for delivery on 15 December 2023. The manufacturers have indicated that each truck needs to be fitted with its own generator and these generators come from Germany. Given the current global geo-political climate around energy, South Africa is currently lining up with other countries for access to generators. Every political and traditional leader has requested that mobile units be available in their community, which continues to be a big problem for the Department. DHA launched a project that is aimed at bringing services closer to learners in schools, however, learners are still leaving their schools to receive services at DHA facilities. The Minister has given the CFO the go ahead to order more mobile units, and he should not wait for the end of the financial year.

Pakistani shop owners have been an ongoing issue for the Department. They are working tirelessly to ensure the safety of South African citizens. Traditional leaders have raised their concerns regarding Pakistani shop owners who do not introduce themselves to the royal family as is expected when new people settle into villages. DHA is working alongside various stakeholders to get to the bottom of the matter. To get to the bottom of the issue, the Department hosted a two-day workshop encompassing all the rules and laws for all Traditional Leaders, together with Ward Councilors, and all the Metros. One of the resolutions was that all the Mayors must perform an audit of all the spaza shops in the municipalities. Everyone who is not a South African should be on a register and be known. The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) is to devise a team to develop generic by-laws. Everyone who owns a business in South Africa, as a foreign national, should have the correct papers otherwise the process of deportation will be applied. Immigration laws should be tightened to ensure that the work is being taken forward.

The Chairperson thanked the Minister and his team for all the presentations. The Committee has noted all the achievements and non-achievements in the second quarter. He commended the Department for their hard work.

The Committee will consider the minutes in the next meeting.

The meeting was adjourned.